Hymns From Home: What A Friend WE Have In Jesus

​​PRAY
Jesus, thank you for being the constant friend we can run to in times of trial and in times of joy!  Thank you for listening to our prayers, and shielding us in your arms so that we may find solace.

LYRIC
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge--
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

SCRIPTURE
​John 15:14-15
​
BACKGROUND

​Joseph M Scriven penned the well-known hymn "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" and the testimony that he found comfort and healing in Christ is a powerful one given that he lived a pretty tragic life from beginning to end.  He battled depression and his dedication to the poor and disabled in the community often left him an outcast and without a place to lay his head himself.  He had not one but two fiancés die before he had the chance to wed them and he himself met with an unfortunate end by drowning.  One account of the origins of the lyric says, "A neighbour, sitting up with him in his illness, happened upon a manuscript of 'What a Friend we have in Jesus.' Reading it with great delight, and questioning Mr. Scriven about it, he said he had composed it for his mother, to comfort her in a time of special sorrow, not intending any one else should see it." 

The tune this lyric is most often set to is entitled "CONVERSE" after it's composer Charles C Converse (although he published it under the pseudonym "Karl Rede"), and is also sometimes called "Eerie" or "Friendship." Converse was a lawyer as well as running an organ company, and composed several hymns.  The factoid I found most interesting about him is that a "Doctor of Music degree was offered him by Sterndale Bennett of Cambridge University in England for the five-voice double fugue at the end of his Psalm-Cantata on Psalm 126, but he declined the offer."  He did accept an honorary "Doctor of Laws" degree however a few yeas later.  

​This arrangement and closing motive were written by Dr. Michelle Margiotta, a contemporary multi-instrumentalist, Professor of Music Composition, music educator, worship leader, composer, and arranger.  In addition to having released several albums of her own music, her past accomplishments include leading worship at Times Square Church in Manhattan, playing many concerts with contemporary Christian artist Kathy Troccoli and composing orchestrations for Kathy Lee Gifford.

PERSONAL

I could not be more excited to have my dear friend Michelle Margiotta back with me again tonight for her second round of Hymns From Home.  Her enthusiasm for this project has remained unparalleled from the start...on our initial phone conversation about this project Michelle interrupted me at one point and started listing off all the hymns she wanted to play! "What A Friend" was the second title she rattled off and as several folks had requested it I was definitely interested.  However, I was initially concerned that this brilliant arrangement would be too "peppy" for the tone I was trying to set; space to close your eyes and pray.  But after reading the story behind the hymn, that it was born out of a place of gratefulness for the refuge Jesus is from our pain, it made perfect sense for this season.

It also made sense to record a song with "Friend" in the title with Michelle as she is such a dear one.  I know I already shared a bit about how we met a few blogs ago when we did "Be Thou My Vision," but she is truly a gift.  One of my most favorite memories of our friendship was a few years ago when I had a day off on a trip to the East Coast.  I grew up spending large chunks of the summer at my grandparents' house "down the shore in Jersey" and some of my sweetest memories are rooted in that house.  They moved about 23 years ago and are now both deceased but I had dreamed of a day that I could drive by and see that home, which Michelle knew, so when I had a day off, she drove from her then-home in Long Island to Laguardia airport (which, if you've ever flown in and out of that place, you know is a sign of a true friend), picked me up, and drove me to South New Jersey to eat with my cousins and see this home that held such a special place in my heart.  When we finally got back to Long Island after one of the sweetest afternoons "strolling down memory lane" so to speak, her parents' had a Friendly's Wattamelon Roll waiting for me - also a childhood favorite that they knew I liked.

In addition to being an encourager and playing on two episodes of this project, Michelle volunteered to take on all the video editing, which thank goodness because I honestly had asked people to do duets with me before it really occurred to me that I didn't know how to mash them together into one video.  But that's just the kind of friend Michelle is...she wants to see her friends thrive and she's ready to help make that happen without being asked.